Patron: The Benefactors

Outsiders from the void between worlds are heading towards earth... and they need allies. The Benefactors have many gifts for those who would help them achieve their goals.

This patron is here to flesh out the alien hints in the 0-level funnel "Portal beneath the stars" from Dungeon Crawl Classics. They're intended to be shadowy and distant, with obviously bad motives. They speak in super-low pitched, oscillating computer voices.

Invoke Patron check results

12-13: Microwaves saturate the area. Everyone within 30 feet, including the caster, must make a will save or take d8 head-exploding damage.
14-17: The caster's personal gravity is halved for 2d6 rounds, letting them jump around with ease.
18-19: The caster is beamed to a location of their choice within a hundred miles, with a d30 mile margin for error.
20-23: 1D6 spider-bots will beam into the PC's location. HP 1d8, AC 12. They will clamp onto an opponents head. The opponent must them make a Will save or be controlled, with -2 to all rolls.
24-27: The caster and up to 8 allies are beamed to a location of their choice within 500 miles, with a d30 mile margin for error.
28-29: A scouting vessel shadows the party. On a successful spell check the vessel uses it's tractor beam: Reflex save or be abducted.
30-31: "Co-ordinates received." The caster will be given 1d3 turns to evacuate the area before 20' around the position where the spell was cast is destroyed by an orbital strike. 2d20 damage, everything in area will be set on fire.
32+: The Mothership arrives in aid of their earthling ally. HP 2d30, AC 16, Lasers: d20 damage, Tractor beam: Reflex save or be abducted.

Patron Taint

1. The Benefactors inform the failing caster that they will be converted to a more efficient form. First time rolled: The caster will vomit razorwire whenever they eat for 2d4 days as their organs are transformed. Second: Hands show bulging shiny veins, caster is unable to grasp small objects without crushing them and will lose fine motor control for 2D4 days. Third: The caster is numb to pain. They take damage as usual, but will be unable to feel it, and must be careful to avoid accidentally cutting/hurting themselves without realizing. Fourth: Casters skin turns totally transparent, revealing their churning metallic organs.

2. The caster's mind boggles with cosmic knowledge. First: their brain grows, expanding their upper head to a deformed size. Second: A hole forms in their forehead, bleeding and weeping pus. Their pulsing brain can be seen inside. Third: A third eye forms. Roll a d20: 1-10 it's useless and bleeds constantly, 11-15 it uncontrollably shows the caster visions of other places at inconvenient times, 16-19 it sees through cloth and flesh so everyone looks like organ sacks, the caster must concentrate hard to close it 20 it can see souls.

3. Trace radiation seeps into the caster. First: They glow in the dark. Second: A tiny second limb (Hand or foot) grows off from one of their own, hampering their movement. Third: A tiny malevolent Siamese twin slowly grows in their stomach, eventually splitting off.

4. The Benefactors are watching. First: Tiny monofilament wires slowly ooze out of the casters skin at all times. Second: Subliminal messages seem to be planted around the caster - NPC's will unknowingly give them messages like "The Benefactors are here to help!" in between their normal speech. Third: Seemingly normal animals with lenses for eyes will constantly flock around the caster.

Payment for Services Rendered

The Benefactors will demand these things in return for gifts, favours, or Spellburn.

1. The Benefactors require certainty. When the caster next sleeps, they will wake to find a hole in their tent and a pressure in their frontal lobe. Taking any actions against the Benefactors plans will make their head start beeping. Continued disobedience will make their head explode.

2. They will give the caster a small metal cylinder, telling him to make sure it touches the forehead of an important NPC and stays there for five minutes. If the mission is completed, the NPC will start to give strange orders.

3. The benefactors require samples from at least 10 different races. They will need the fittest possible examples of each race taken alive to a deserted hillside somewhere out of town.

4. The benefactors will need to extract and scan your brain to retrieve all relevant knowledge before re-implanting. This will tell them everything you know. It won't hurt, unless they are forced to revive you from death during the process.

5. The Benefactors will require these co-ordinate verifying devices set up at these five horribly dangerous points on the map. This will allow their craft to land there and greet the local populace.

6. This device will activate within 24 hours. We require it to be in the most populated point possible at that time.

Gifts

The benefactors will reward the caster with these items for exceptional service.

1. The caster may be teleported aboard the Benefactor's ship to receive enhancements: 2d3 extra Intelligence.

2. An Android slave (Page 394). This android may gather information on the caster and/or slowly go rouge and/or activate self destruct when near death. With further pestering the Benefactors may grant the android extra powers: Disguising as any human, x-ray vision, laser eyes, detachable rocket-arms.

3. One of the Benefactors weapons - a shining translucent tube. The PC's will have no idea how it works and will be wildly inaccurate with it, but a successful hit does d20 damage. Without being maintained properly it will fall apart after 1d6 days.

4. An anti-grav belt buckle. On a successful spell check the caster's fall is slowed instantly whenever it determines they have fallen an unsafe distance, making them immune to damage.

5. The True Name of one NPC. Retrieval will take 1d10 days.

6. A fully-accurate birds-eye rendering of one location.

7. A jetpack. In the hands of a PC it'll fly erratically and is likely to explode.

8. A captured and lobotomised specimen of an incredibly valuable creature.